Here at Always There Home Care, we are grateful you are slowing down to read our newsletter full of items that relate to home care, home health care, aging and eldercare, as well as some useful tips for daily living. Please enjoy in the spirit of community and cooperation in which this newsletter was sent.

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Featured Article:

The Best Alzheimer's Caregiver Tool of Them All, Harvey

By Bob DeMarco - Alzheimer's Reading Room.

If you hired someone to care for a person living with dementia you would probably need to give him or her training. Not with this wonderful care-giving tool, you just turn it on and it goes to work.

In Bob's award wining blog, Alzheimer's Reading Room, there is a wonderful video of his mother Dotty as she talks and sings with Harvey, the Alzheimer's caregiving repeat parrot. Check out this video: Dotty Stars in Breakfast with Harry.

He discusses the wonder of Harvey here:

As a result of the article, I received quite a few questions and comments.

Here is the first thing I want to say. Some caregivers see our Dotty - Parrot videos and run right out and buy one. If you are interested in purchasing one online try Amazon.

Once again, Alan shares his thoughts and frustrations, this time on a topic with which we are all too familiar

My wife had knee replacement surgery in February and was provided a walker by the hospital. It was a Ford Focus of walkers, nothing special, just reliable transportation to get you from here to there. (Some older folks using them permanently have Bentley walkers: horns, seats, baskets, lights. I was tempted....) We've just received a bill this month from the hospital--where the care was superb--telling us that of the $125 cost of the walker, insurance paid for everything but $12.94, so would we please remit. I think you can see that it's costing the hospital about $100 or more to collect their $12.94, and it probably cost Medicare more than $125 to reimburse the hospital partially. Bureaucracy is the triumph of means over ends. Oh, yes: There are 600,000 knee replacements annually in the US. I call this principle (as when only 50 cents of a charity donation actually gets to the intended person in need) the "abrasion of value." It's worn away by the system.

Alan is an international business consultant, a prolific author, and a trusted colleague. He is incapable of keeping us thoughts to himself.

Senior Smartphone Adventures:

A Love-Hate-Love Story

By Kathy Birkett, Senior Care Corner

As family caregivers of senior adults, we know how important it is to make use of technology in our senior's day to day lives. It can help keep them safe, keep them engaged with distant friends and relatives, entertain them, stimulate their brains and give us piece of mind about their health and safety.

The difficulty comes not only in getting technology into the hands of our seniors but, at least as importantly, helping them learn to use it correctly before they give in to frustration. It is apparent that we must be willing to be involved as advisers before the purchase, teachers after the purchase and coaches/troubleshooters for use of the technology in the future.

Tandi has been a caregiver with us for several months now. She is the much-appreciated caregiver for B and A in their lovely rural home. Their family members have also grown to trust Tandi's judgment and care of their parents/grandparents. She makes sure this lovely couple enjoys the local scene, often driving them to shopping expeditions or dining out. (Read more about Thandiwe)

Sena Grandison:

Many of us are not night people. But luckily for all of us at Always There, Sena enjoys working at night. This is very fortunate for her clients, many of whom need care and attention at night. She brings an energy and attentiveness to her special clients and insures all their needs for personal care, companionship, soothing or simply a few laughs, are met with her typical enthusiasm. (Read more about Sena)

All caregivers mentioned in this column will receive a gift card and our sincere appreciation! Many many thanks to all of you for once again extending yourselves to ensure that we are of course Always There...!!

Providers We Love

We are privileged to have received referrals from and be able to coordinate care with many Assisted Living facilities, rehab facilities, and Medicare Home Care and Hospice agencies. Our growth is in large part due to the trust the staff in these organizations have put in our caregivers. We are likewise impressed with them and we are committed to referring to them on a regular basis

Weatherby and Associates, PC,

Bloomfield, CT North Haven, New London, and Stamford

Specializing in comprehensive elder care services.

The attorneys at Weatherby & Associates, PC have a unique approach that goes above and beyond what most people expect from a law firm. Their goal is to help their clients live as well as possible, as long as possible, and as much as possible where they want. They establish long-term relationships with their clients and their clients' families so they can maximize their resources and deal with the inevitable changes in their life circumstances.

One service that sets them apart is their Life Care Plans, where they provide assistance with care coordination; family education on elder care matters, health and financial decision making; care advocacy; crisis intervention; and other supportive services. In addition to attorneys and paralegals, their team includes a Life Care Coordinator, a nurse who assesses clients' physical environment, health status, and socialization, and makes recommendations about how to improve their level of safety and quality of life as well as providing health care advocacy for the client.

Weatherby & Associates, PC has a comprehensive, team-based approach and works collaboratively with other advisors and health care providers to help clients protect and care for themselves and their families.

Call Weatherby & Associates, PC at 888-822-8778 or visit their website at www.weatherby-associates.com

Always There Home Care provides compassionate, dependable and professional one-on-one care for seniors who need assistance in the comfort of their homes or residential care communities. Services from highly qualified and trained caregivers range from companionship, meal preparation and incidental transportation to personal care, medication management and RN-directed case management. Available 7 days a week, services range from a few hours a day to 24-hour care.

Always There Home Care understands that every situation is unique and creates individualized care plans to help improve a client's quality of life.

Our caregivers

Our caregivers are totally committed, highly qualified and carefully selected individuals who are personally and thoroughly screened, bonded and insured. Most are Certified Nurse Assistants or Home Health Aides. Most importantly our caregivers are dependable and extraordinarily caring of others. In addition to their previous experience, our caregivers receive continuous training that includes dementia, hospice care, home safety, nutrition and other topics related to seniors. These highly qualified and trained caregivers are ready to help you and your loved ones with a variety of daily activities such as:

Personal care / Meal planning and preparation

Transportation to doctor appointments and other errands

Caring companionship / Light housekeeping

Medication reminders / Information and referral services

Our personalized, nurse- supervised services are available 7 days a week and can range from a few hours a day to 24 hour and live in care.

For more information or service needs, call 24 hours a day at: 800.348.0485or visit www.AlwaysThereHomeCare-CT.com.